The World No. 2 will sit out the Canada-based tournament with a right leg strain. Roger Federer has also withdrawn from the tournament.

The Russian ace and former World No. 1 has withdrawn from the Canada-based Rogers Cup, it was revealed in an announcement from the WTA yesterday.

Sharapova has suffered a right leg strain and will be unable to compete in the tournament, which will commence tomorrow in Toronto. The withdrawal means that World No 3 Simona Halep of Romania will now be seeded second. She will compete against several Grand Slam winners she has already beaten before, the Williams sisters among them.

5-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova ended her run at Wimbledon last month in the semi-finals, bowing out after a loss to World No. 1 Serena Williams, who went on to win the Championships. The Russian appears to have taken a break from competing, having not played a match since.

The Rogers Cup is one of the tournaments in the run-up to the hard-court US Open, which will commence on the 31st of August. Should Williams win that tournament, she will have won all four Grand Slams and finished a calendar sweep.

Last year’s Rogers Cup women’s singles champion is World No. 7 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, who is on course to participate in the tournament.